Foreign mothers deliver £350m bill
The NHS is spending more than £350 million a year providing maternity services for mothers from overseas, it was reported last night. ....more

Embryo law causes concern for 'child's rights'
Government plans to make it easier for lesbian couples to become parents were condemned yesterday by one of the most senior Church of England clerics. ....more

Breastfeeding at its highest level
More new mothers than ever are opting to breastfeed their babies, research out today suggests. ....more

Premature babies’ survival rates ‘still not good enough to lower abortion limit’
There is not enough scientific evidence to justify lowering the legal abortion limit below 24 weeks, Dawn Primarolo, the Health Minister, has said ....more

Breakthrough in fertility treatment as first British babies are born using new technique
A landmark in the development of fertility treatment was announced by doctors yesterday with the birth of the first babies to be conceived using a revolutionary technique that offers a safer, cheaper alternative to IVF ....more

Young 'missing out on eye tests'
Eye problems are going undiagnosed in many children because of poor screening services and a low uptake of free NHS tests, experts have warned ....more

Child obesity alert plan pondered
Parents in England may be warned if their children are found to be overweight, under government proposals.....more

Babies aborted for minor disabilities
More than 50 babies with club feet were aborted in just one area of England in a three-year period, according to new statistics....more

Fast food salt levels 'shocking'
A treat at a fast food restaurant could expose children to "staggeringly" high levels of salt, a survey has suggested. ...more

Parents told son’s death may be linked to their smoking
The parents of a baby boy who died in his cot have been told by a pathologist that their smoking habits may have been a major factor....more

UK has 'highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe'Britain has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe, according to a study into the sexual health of women. ...more 

Experimental malaria vaccine works in babies
African babies - the group most at risk of dying from malaria - may be protected against the mosquito-borne disease by an experimental vaccine, say researchers....more

Acupuncture may harm chances of IVF pregnancy, say researchers
Women who have acupuncture alongside IVF treatment could harm their chances of becoming pregnant, researchers say....more

Date for halting childhood obesity slips back 10 yearsThe government has quietly abandoned its target to halt childhood obesity by 2010, setting instead the goal of reducing it by 2020 - a decade further on....more

Stem cell ‘insurance scheme’ exploits families
A company that offers IVF patients “insurance” against disease by extracting stem cells from their left-over embryos has been criticised by leading scientists, who say it exploits parents and threatens research in the field...more

'Clear smoking link' to cot death
Almost nine out of ten mothers who lose a baby to cot death smoked while pregnant, say researchers...more

Anorexia research halted by NHS cash crisis
A government-funded project that promised ground-breaking research into the early detection and treatment of anorexia has been frozen because of the NHS funding crisis....more

Abortion law facing new challenge
Critics of Britain's abortion laws will ask ministers to cut the normal time limit for a termination from 24 weeks to 20 as part of a new bill....more

Male infertility alert over hidden bacteria
Chlamydia, the sexually transmitted infection (STI) carried by one in ten sexually-active young British adults can make men infertile by damaging the quality of their sperm, new research has shown....more

World failing mothers in childbirth
An international drive to cut the global toll of deaths among women in childbirth has made almost zero progress after 15 years, experts said yesterday....more